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ments in the form of theses against poor Flora, with a brief dissertation upon each, and ends by trying her before a packed jury of his own Puritans, who as a matter of course bring her in guilty, when the parson, as judge, thus pronounces sentence: 'Flora, thou hast been indited by the name of Flora for bringing in abundance of misrule and disorder into church and state; thou hast been found guilty, and art condemned both by God and man, by scriptures, fathers, councils, by learned and pious divines, both old and new, and therefore I adjudge thee to perpetual banishment.'

There was perhaps no great harm in these impotent railings, and they at least show that the attempts of the parliament about eighteen years before to put down Maygames had not been able to root out this festival from the affections of the people.† In the words of Macbeth,

*Funebria Floræ, p. 30.

"And because," says this precious enactment, "the prophanation of the Lord's day hath been heretofore greatly occasioned by May-poles, (a heathenish vanity generally abused to superstition and wickedness) the Lords and Commons do further order and ordain that all and singular May-poles, that are or shall be erected, shall be taken down and removed by the constables, borsholders, tythingmen, petty constables and church wardens of the parishes,"mercy on us! what an army to put down a poor May-pole !—" where the same be; and that no May-pole shall be hereafter set up, erected, or suffered to be within this kingdom of England or dominion of Wales.

"And it is further ordained that if any of the said officers shall neglect to do their office in the premises within one week after notice of this ordinance, every of them for such neglect shall forfeit five shillings of lawful moneys; and so from week to week, weekly five shillings, more afterwards 'till the said May-pole shall be removed." The act then goes on to denounce the King's declaration :

"And it is further ordained by the said Lords and Commons that the King's declaration concerning observing of wakes, and use of exercise and recreation upon the Lord's Day; the book intituled The King's Majesties Declaration to his subjects concerning lawfull

they had "scotched the snake, not killed it," and with the restoration of the Stuarts the May-pole was also restored. And yet the Parliament in the time of the great Civil War had been strenuous in their endeavours to put down amusements of every kind, and to make Sunday a day of mourning. They had forbidden travelling on the Sabbath under heavy fines, or the crying or selling of fruits and herbs, or even the dressing of meat at inns except in a moderate way, and had even set their veto upon the ringing of bells, so far as it could be considered an To crown all, parents and masters were made responsible for the strict conformity with this act sports to be used; and all other books and pamphlets that have been or shall be written, printed, or published, against the morality of the fourth commandment, or of the Lord's Day, or to countenance the prophanation thereof, be called in, seized, suppressed, and publiquely burnt by the justices of peace, &c. April 6, anno 1644.”—A Collection of Acts and Ordinances by Henry Scobell, folio Lond. 1658, cap. xxxvii. p. 68.

amusement.

This however is but a renewal of hostilities against the popular sports; in the year previous they had ordered that King Charles' "Booke of Sports" should be burnt by the common hangman as appears by the following broadside :

"Die Veneris 5o Maii 1643.

"It is this day ordered by the Lords and Commons in Parliament, that the Booke concerning the enjoyning and tollerating of Sports upon the Lord's Day be forthwith burned by the hand of the common hangman in Cheape-side and other usuall places. And to this purpose the Sheriffs of London and Middlesex respectively are hereby required to be assistants to the effectuall execution of this order, and see the said books burnt accordingly; and all persons who have any of the said oks in their houses are hereby required forthwith to deliver them to one of the Sheriffes of London to be burnt according to this order.

JOHN BROWNE, Cler. Parl.

HENRY ELSYNGE, Cler. P. D. Com. The Sheriffes of London and Middlesex have assigned Wednesday next the 10th of this instant May, at twelve of the clock, for the

of those under their control, provided they were not more than fourteen years old.*

putting in execution of the foresaid Ordinance, and therefore doe require all persons that have any of the Bookes therein mentioned to bring them in by that time, that they may be burned accordingly.

LONDON:

JOHN LANGHAM.

THOMAS ANDREWS.

Printed for Thomas Underhill in Great Wood-street, May 9th, 1643." This rare broadside is to be found in the British Museum with the press-mark 669. f.7

I hardly know whether it is necessary to add that a borsholder mentioned in the first of these enactments is a tything-man-" Tenne tythings," says Spenser, "make an hundred; and five make a lathe or wapentake; of which tenne each one was bound for another; the eldest or best of them, whom they called the tythingman or borsolder, that is the eldest pledge, became surety for all the rest."

and

*“No person, or persons whatsoever shall publickly cry, shew forth, or expose to sale, any wares, merchandizes, fruit, herbs, goods or chattels whatsoever upon the Lord's Day. No person, or persons whatsoever shall, without reasonable cause for the same, travel, carry burthens, or do any worldly labours, or work whatsoever upon that day, or any part thereof.

"No person, or persons, shall hereafter upon the Lord's day use, exercise, keep, maintain, or be present at any Wrestlings, Shooting, Bowling, Ringing of Bells for Pleasure or Pastime, Masque, Wake, otherwise called Feasts, Church-ale, Dancing, Games, Sport or Pastime whatsoever.

"Nothing in this ordinance shall extend to the prohibiting of the dressing of meat in private families, or the dressing and sale of victuals in a moderate way in innes or victualling houses for the use of such as can not otherwise be provided for." April 6, 1644.-Scobell's Collection, cap. xxxvii. p. 69.

These saints moreover were pleased to allow milk to be cried before nine and after four from the 10th of September to the 10th of March; and before eight and after five from the 10th of March to the 10th of September.

In addition to the sports and pastimes already described, there prevails in the North of England a custom of making fools on the 1st of May similar to that more generally practised on the 1st of April. So at least says a writer in the Gentleman's Magazine,* who tells us, that "U. P. K. spells May-goslings is an expression used by boys at play, as an insult to the losing party. U. P. K. is up-pick, up with your pin or peg, the mark of the goal. An additional punishment was thus; the winner made a hole in the ground with his heel, into which a peg about three inches long was driven, its top being below the surface; the loser with his hands tied behind him was to pull it up with his teeth, the boys buffetting him with their hats, and calling out, Up-peck, you May-gosling ; or, U. P. K. gosling in May. A May gosling on the 1st of May is made with as much eagerness in the North of England, as an April noddy (noodle) or fool, on the 1st of April."

About eighty years ago the great May-fair was held near Piccadilly on a spot which still retains the name of May-fair. Carter, the antiquarian, writing of it in 1816, says it then still existed in much the same state it had done fifty years before, and as his account is full of curious interest I shall give it at some length.—" Mayfair exists in much the same state as at the above period; for instance, Shepherd's Market,* and houses surround*For April, 1791, vol. lxi. p. 327.

SHEPHERD'S MARKET was thus called not from sheep being bought and sold there, but from the name of the builder, SHEPHEARD, who in 1738 obtained a grant from the government for establishing on that spot a market for live cattle, (see Gentleman's Magazine for March, 1738, vol. viii. p. 164. It must, however, have fallen into neglect in the course of time, for in the same work for January 1750, p. 40, we are told "the market was opened at May-fair for all sorts of cattle as at Smithfield."

ing it on the north and east sides, with White-horsestreet, Shepherd's-court, Sun-court, Market-court: westwards, an open space extending to Tyburn (now Parklane) now built upon in Chapel-street, Shepherd's-street, Market-street, Hertford-street, &c.; southwards, the noted Ducking-pond, house and gardens, since built upon, in a large Riding-school, Carrington-street, &c. The Market-house consisted of two stories; first story, a long and cross aisle for butcher's shops, externally, other shops connected with culinary purposes; second story, used as a theatre at fair time for dramatic performances, Below the butchers gave place to toymen and gingerbread bakers. At present, the upper story is unflored the lower ditto nearly deserted by the butchers, and their shops occupied by needy pedling dealers in small wares; in truth, a most deplorable contrast to what was once such a point of allurement. In the areas encompassing the market-building were booths for jugglers, prizefighters, both at cudgels and back-sword, boxing-matches, and wild beasts. The sports not under cover were mountebanks, fire-eaters, ass-racing, sausage-tables, dice ditto, up-and-downs, merry-go-rounds, bull-baiting, grinning for a hat, running for a shift, hasty-pudding eaters, eel-divers, and an infinite variety of other similar pastimes. Among the extraordinary and wonderful delights of the happy spot, take the following few items, which still hold place within my mind, though I can not affirm they all occurred at one precise season. The account may be relied on as I was born and passed my youthful days in the vicinity, in Piccadilly (Carter's statuary) two doors from the south end of White-horse-street, since rebuilt and occupied at present by Lady Pulteney.

"Ducking-pond, with a large commodious house, good disposure of walks, arbours, alcoves; and in an area be